The Betrayed

Hungary had had five brief days of freedom in October 1956 before the doublecross. Faced with the impressive force of the rebellion, Soviet Vice Premier Anastas Mikoyan had given a solemn pledge to withdraw the Red army. Four days later a horrified Premier Imre Nagy went on the air to "notify the people of our country and the entire world" that the Russians had launched a massive surprise attack on Budapest. Nagy fled to the Yugoslav embassy for sanctuary, while from a Budapest cellar Soviet Commissar Mikhail Suslov ran Hungary.

As Nagy sat in the Yugoslav embassy, the Russians did their best to entice him out. On Nov. II Hungary's new Puppet Premier Janos Kadar broadcast these words: "I, as a Minister in Imre Nagy's government, must openly state that to the best of my knowledge neither Imre Nagy nor his political groups meant knowingly to support the regime of counterrevolution." And on Nov. 21 Kadar gave the Yugoslavs his government's guarantee "in writing that it has no intention of taking punitive action against Imre Nagy and members of his group because of their past activities," and that Nagy's group could "go freely to their homes."

The unwary Yugoslavs let their guests go, but when Nagy and his party were loaded aboard a bus, they were set upon and kidnaped by Soviet police. Kadar blandly announced that Nagy had asked for asylum in Communist Rumania.

Early in Hungary's revolt a tall, gaunt Communist army colonel named Pal Maleter took command of fighting students and workers at Budapest's Kilian Barracks, and became a hero of his people. Nagy made him Defense Minister, sent him to negotiate the promised Red army troop withdrawal with the Soviet military command at Tokol, near Budapest. At midnight the Soviet secret police boss,

General Ivan Serov, walked into the gathering and declared Maleter under arrest. The astonished head of the Soviet delegation, General Malinin, volubly protested. Serov took the Russian general over to a window and whispered to him for several moments. Then General Malinin, shrugging his shoulders, ordered the Soviet delegation from the room. And Russian secret police grabbed Maleter.

Last week the Hungarian Ministry of Justice announced the disposition of charges against ten Hungarians found guilty of "betrayal of the people's democratic system." Five, including the former chief of police of Budapest, were sentenced to long prison terms. The sixth was said to have died in prison. The other four, Nagy, Maleter and two fellow freedom fighters--Miklos Gimes and Josef Szilagyi, journalist associates of Nagy--were sentenced to death. Concluded the communique: "The sentences are final. The death sentences have been executed."

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